New challenge to SB 1221

California Senate Bill (SB) 1221 – which bans the use of hounds to pursue bear and bobcat – was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last year but now faces a new legislative challenge and the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors intends to support that challenge.

Comment

By John Bowman

Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA

By John Bowman

Posted Apr. 3, 2013 at 2:00 PM
Updated Apr 3, 2013 at 2:07 PM

By John Bowman

Posted Apr 3, 2013 at 2:00 PM
Updated Apr 3, 2013 at 2:07 PM

YREKA

California Senate Bill (SB) 1221 – which bans the use of hounds to pursue bear and bobcat – was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last year but now faces a new legislative challenge and the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors intends to support that challenge.

At the April 2 regular board of supervisors meeting the board approved a letter to recently-elected Dist. 1 Assemblyman Brian Dahle asking that he support Assembly Bill (AB) 1230. Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Hesperia) representing the 33rd assembly district, introduced the new bill last month, which would repeal the ban on hunting with hounds.

“Dedicated citizens came out to oppose the hypocritical and purposeless government ban imposed by SB 1221 last year. They were ignored. I am excited to give their voice another chance to be heard,” said Donnelly in a press release.

Author of SB 1221, State Senator Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), and other supporters of the hound ban such as the Humane Society of the United States, alleged that pursuing bear and bobcat with hounds was inhumane and cruel because animals are sometimes chased for several miles before being cornered or treed. In addition, supporters said the hounds sometimes mauled the animals.

However, houndsmen and women say the practice of treeing a bear or bobcat is humane because it allows hunters to be selective in their hunt by affording up-close inspection of an animal before choosing to kill it or not. Hunters say undersized or pregnant bears are often released. Opponents of SB 1221 also say that treeing animals allows hunters to get a clean shot and avoid chasing wounded animals and possibly losing them. In addition, supporters of hunting with hounds say it is an essential tool in managing bear populations, which they fear will grow out of control without the practice.

The supervisors’ letter to Dahle states that with the passage of SB 1221 is “an essential, efficient and cost effective wildlife management tool has been eliminated.” The letter calls the ban an “ill-conceived, emotionally driven bill” and says the state is “now on the brink of a management crisis consisting of an over-abundance of predators and a precipitous decline in prey species.”

According to data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, about half of the bears taken in the state over the past decade were reportedly taken with the assistance of hounds.

The letter to Dahle also states that the skills necessary in hunting with hounds is “not something you can just pull off the shelf whenever the need arises.” The supervisors say, because only a short time has elapsed since the passage of SB 1221, there is still time to reverse course and save the skill set.

According to the Donnelly press release, AB 1230 has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife and is awaiting notice of a hearing date.